Chapter 152: The Match Begins
Numerous dignitaries and wealthy merchants arrived in Konoha Village by ox cart.
The Fire Daimyo sent his regrets, citing illness, but his three magistrates and retainers were all in attendance.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the first match pitted Ino against Temari. Eager to be ready, Ino arrived at the arena early to make her final preparations.
The proctor from the previous preliminary rounds, Hayate Gekko, was hospitalized. The proctor for the official exams was changed to Genma Shiranui, a Special Jonin who had once served as a guard for the Fourth Hokage.
This Special Jonin was also a ninja from the same generation as Kakashi and Asuma. Compared to the prodigious Kakashi of that time, they seemed quite ordinary. Now, over a decade later, they had accumulated experience and honed their skills, becoming the backbone of the village.
Ino didn't know Genma Shiranui and had never spoken to him before. With the match about to start, there was no time for small talk. She tuned out the noise from outside the arena and stood quietly to the side, waiting.
The Third Hokage and the "Fourth Kazekage" appeared on the viewing platform simultaneously. Then, just as the arena gates were about to close, Naruto came barreling into view, chased by a herd of bulls. One particularly strong bull even managed to headbutt him squarely in the backside.
Naruto yelped, clutching his rear as he was sent flying more than ten meters. He landed face-first in a parabolic arc, skidding across the ground in a disheveled heap, leaving a furrow in his wake as he came to a stop in front of the other contestants. Sasuke, utterly mortified by his teammate's antics, turned his head away, pretending not to know him. Eventually, Shikamaru helped him to his feet.
Genma Shiranui glanced up at the high platform. The Third Hokage gave him a subtle nod, signaling that he could begin.
Genma positioned himself in the center of the arena, with Ino to his left and Temari to his right.
The opening match was a contest between two blonde female ninjas.
You'd say this match arrangement was random? No one bought it.
The fact that Ino had become Tsunade's apprentice was becoming common knowledge. Tsunade, as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, was originally known as the Princess of Konoha. So, by extension, Ino could also be considered the Princess of Konoha.
The first match, thanks to some behind-the-scenes maneuvering, had become a battle between the Princess of Konoha and the Princess of Suna.
Ino's cropped top was quite alluring, and her exposed skin glowed like porcelain in the sunlight. She had also swapped her original flat, childish high-top open-toed sandals for black chunky-heeled high heels, the same style favored by Tsunade and Shizune.
Temari, three years her senior, possessed a graceful figure and an exotic charm that hinted at her Sand Village heritage. She was undeniably beautiful in her own right.
The two women merely exchanged glances, yet a palpable hostility already hung in the air between them.
A natural rivalry, amplified by their many similarities – hair color, personality, appearance, figure, and background – made the animosity even more intense.
After Tenten's shout, "Ino, help me defeat that muscle-bound oaf!" the tension between the two reached a boiling point.
"Hmph, Yamanaka pig! I've taken down quite a few wild boars this month. Such crude creatures! All they do is wallow in the mud and then rub resin all over themselves on trees. I wonder if your defense is as tough as a wild boar's?" Temari's opening words were deliberately cutting.
Ino immediately shot back, "Sunagakure old hag, you must be the unwanted one in your village, right? How pathetic, having absolutely no redeeming qualities. Oh, wait, look at my mouth. I'm not good with words. Actually, you do have one advantage – you're strong!"
As she spoke, she raised her middle finger in a gesture that didn't exist in their world and shook it emphatically twice. Temari actually understood!
Genma Shiranui sensed the thick tension between them and instinctively took a couple of steps back, saying softly, "The first match...begin!"
"I'm going to rip that smug look right off your face!"
Just as Genma Shiranui finished speaking, Temari unfurled her giant fan. Her gaze towards Ino was icy. Before the match, Kankuro had told her to just go through the motions and forfeit. Their real goal was to disrupt Konoha, not to actually become Chunin, so there was no need to exert herself. Saving chakra for the upcoming battle was the priority. Temari had flatly refused!
The "muscle-bound oaf's" words still stung, fueling her annoyance. This anger had been simmering for a month, and Ino's provocative gesture had just ignited it. As soon as Genma Shiranui announced the start of the match, she swung her fan with both arms and charged forward.
Muscle-bound, huh? Fine, I'll admit it. I'll just crush you with a single swing of my fan!
Her opening move was the formidable B-rank Wind Style ninjutsu, "Great Sickle Weasel!"
As the fan was swung with force, several chakra-infused wind blades shot out horizontally and vertically. Two of the wind blades flew low, instantly carving deep furrows into the ground.
Having been trained by Tsunade, Ino had abandoned her previous fighting style of starting with two Shadow Clones and then spamming ninjutsu.
Her current strategy was to observe, probe, and gather information about her opponent before committing to a move.
This was considered a standard ninja response.
As soon as Temari swung her fan, Ino had a good idea of what was coming.
Just as the wind blades were released, she stomped her right foot into the ground, pivoted her body halfway around to evade the attack, and with the momentum of her spin, hurled a kunai with an explosive tag from her left hand.
Temari raised her fan to shield herself from the explosive tag, then executed a backflip, using the fan's ability to levitate and the smoke from the explosion as cover. She rushed towards Ino at high speed, preparing to launch a taijutsu attack.
"You? Too slow!" Ino gathered chakra in her feet, raised her left leg high like an axe, and slammed it down forcefully to the side.
"Painful Sky Kick!" The massive impact created a large crater in the ground, spiderweb cracks radiating outwards. Temari's plan to launch a surprise attack using her speed had failed. Instead, she was slightly injured by the shockwave.
The Third Hokage and the "Fourth Kazekage" on the viewing platform both nodded slightly. The move looked familiar.
"Monster Strength Fist!" Ino's offense was relentless. Temari's taijutsu was roughly on par with hers, perhaps not as fast, but with greater raw power. Tsunade's Monster Strength Fist, which focused chakra into a single point, evened out the strength difference between them.
You think I'm a wild boar? I'll show you!
Every punch and kick landed with tremendous destructive force. Temari was also fighting with everything she had. So what if she wasn't married? She was born with exceptional strength; she wouldn't let Ino outdo her.
The two female ninjas exchanged more than ten incredibly violent blows in the blink of an eye.
Ino was enjoying the fight, but she also acknowledged that Temari's strength was indeed significantly greater than her own. Using the Monster Strength Fist and Painful Sky Kick to block a few moves was manageable, but it wouldn't be sustainable in the long run. This was just a warm-up match, and she didn't want to waste too much time.
"Alright, I've got a good grasp of your abilities now. I'll finish this within three moves!" she declared confidently.
Then, she made the hand seals for "Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage" and burrowed into the ground.